Animorphs: The Rookie
by Kenny Rutter
Summary: Penny thought that the only thing she'd have to worry about when moving to a new school was making new friends and adjusting to a new way of life. She never imagined she'd learn of an alien invasion, never imagined she'd have to fight for the people she loved. Never imagined she'd become the newest Animorph.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Hello. My name is Penny. I'm sorry, I can't tell you my last name or the name of the new town I live in – you see, I've taken an oath of secrecy. And though you can be sure that everything I'm about to tell you is true, well...You know those crime shows that say that some names and events have been changed to protect the identities of those involved? Well, this is one of those stories. Though I wonder if you're even going to believe me; here I am, some time after the events of the story, and I still find myself wondering if it's all happening.

You've got to understand that I've changed some things in this story from how they actually happened. I hate telling lies as much as the next honest person, but like I said, I've taken an oath of secrecy. Let's just say that until this happened, I never would have believe in alien invasions or people turning into animals. Let me rephrase the first part of that – I had always imagined that if I had met an alien, it would play out like E.T.

But this was not the case.

It all began when my father had gotten a new job on the other side of the country – we used to live in Ohio, and my father worked for the United States Geological Survey, so I guess it was only natural that we ended up going to an earthquake prone part of the country. It wasn't just me and my father, there was also my mother and my little brother Jonah. We were a pretty close-knit family, especially me and Jonah. You see, Jonah was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off his oxygen supply. The doctors gave him a small chance to live. We were all worried about him – Mom, Dad, myself – but I was the only one who stayed by Jonah's side, even after the nurses and doctors tried to usher me out of the intensive care unit. Looking at my new baby brother lying there, barely clinging to life, I had made a vow to always be there for him, to watch over him like a good big sister should.

Remember this, for later.

It was a long trip across the country, from Akron, Ohio, to...I can't say. All I'll say is it's on the coast. Which coast? That's for you to figure out, I'm afraid. God, I hate keeping things secret like this. But I digress.

It took us nearly a week to get out to the new place we were going to call home, a nice sized city on the coast. Even as we entered the city, I could smell the salty water of the bay. It almost reminded me of being at the shore of Lake Erie. We had bought a small two-story house on a street that I shall refer to as "Tenth Street" (I think you know why I gave the street an alias). The house was big enough to support a family of four, maybe five – plus one dog, the realtor had said, as if he were trying to be funny – and to be honest, I found its white paint to be a little boring. But for what Mom and Dad paid for it, I suppose I really shouldn't be complaining.

The movers arrived with our stuff the following day. By the end of the day the furniture had been moved in – a sectional sofa and recliner chair for the living room, a dining table set for the dining room, our beds and dressers and nightstands – and as night settled on that first day, we finished putting on the last personal touches to our new home.

But there were still some things to do. Sure, Dad still had his job with the Geological Survey, which paid about a hundred grand a year – rather low for a government job, but it was enough – but Mom still needed to find some work. Fortunately for her, there were some openings at the local nursing home, and then there was the fact that Jonah and I still had to be enrolled in school.

At the time, I was seven years older than my brother – he was eight, which put me at fifteen – so naturally I'd be going to the high school while he'd be in the elementary school. I kind of miss being in elementary school – recess every hour, very little homework, staying in one room all day; I get nostalgic every time I pass by one. Yeah, I know, it's a little odd to feel nostalgic about school, but I can't help it, that's just the way I am. Always have been.

Mom had taken a break from job hunting to enroll us in school. We got Jonah in first, and then it was my turn.

Now this is where the story begins, on my first day at a new school.

I was tapping my fingers on the car door as we went down the road. When I get nervous, I tap my fingers, or my foot, depending on where I am. As we went, I took in some of the sights, trying to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. I saw a mall, an amusement park called "The Gardens", a McDonald's, a car wash, and after a little while, the school came into view.

Seeing the school didn't stop me from tapping my fingers on the door.

"Penny, calm down," Mom said. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I can't help it, Mom," I replied. "I don't know this place that well. You know how I am when going somewhere new."

"I know, honey," Mom said. "But look on the bright side – soon you'll know this place like the back of your hand. You'll be able to go through the halls blindfolded. And best of all, you'll make new friends. I know you miss Jaquie and the others back home, but you can always talk to them whenever you want."

"I know, Mom," I said. "It's just, well...Maybe you're right. I shouldn't be so nervous. It's a new school, what's the worst that could happen?"

We went into the school and headed to the principle's office. And that's where we met Vice Principle Chapman.

He was an older man, mid to late forties – early fifties, at the most – about the same age as my dad, give or take a few years, tall, and slightly balding.

"You must be Penny _," he said, shaking my hand. "Nice to have you here."

"Thanks, Mr. Chapman," I said. "Though to be honest, my stomach's full of butterflies."

"That won't be a problem for very long," Mr. Chapman said. "Here, let's go do some paperwork, and then you'll get the grand tour."

It didn't take as long as I expected for me and Mom to fill out all the forms, such as for newsletters and what email address to send certain notifications to and all that. But there was one that caught my eye – it looked like it was advertising some sort of charity fund or something. I'll admit, I was a little curious.

"Mr. Chapman?" I asked. "What's The Sharing?"

"Ah, I see you found out about our little youth group," Mr. Chapman said. "It's just an organization for young folks like yourself to join if you're so inclined. We play games, hold charity events, perform community service, and provide a surrogate home for the more troubled youth around town – kids with abusive parents, kids whose parents have gone through divorce, and there are even a few kids about your age who are trying to get over an addiction like drugs or alcohol. You should really give it a try."

"Go ahead, Penny," Mom said. "You can make some friends that way."

I looked back down at the flier. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something...I don't know, wrong about it. You know that feeling you get when you think that something's too good to be true, or there's more to it than people are letting on? That's the feeling I was getting about the Sharing, and I'd only just heard about it.

But I've always been one to follow my gut feeling. "I'll think about it, Mr. Chapman," I said, trying not to let on that I had just said no in a very subtle way.

"That's fine," Mr. Chapman said. "Just let me know if you've decided to join. I'm not going to force your hand."

We finished filling out the necessary forms before handing them back to Mr. Chapman. He put the forms in a tray, no doubt so that the secretary will get to them later.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's show you your classes," he said.

Mr. Chapman showed Mom and I around the building, showing us the classes I would attend; showing us the gymnasium, the auditorium, the cafeteria, and after about an hour, we came back to the office.

"Well, that's that," Mr. Chapman said. "You ready to go to your first class, Penny?"

"I guess so," I said.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get to it," Mom said. "I'll see you when you get home, Penny." With that, she left.

Mr. Chapman led me back to one of the first classes he'd showed me, what he said would be my English class. He knocked on the door before pushing it open. The teacher, a man in his mid-thirties, seemed a little surprised to see us.

"Can I help you, Mr. Chapman?" the teacher asked.

"Just wanted to introduce your new student to the class," Mr. Chapman said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Penny, this is Mr. Tidwell, your English teacher."

"You're just in time, Penny," Mr. Tidwell said. "We're just about to start Act Five of Macbeth."

Macbeth. One of my favorite plays, probably the only Shakespeare play I actually like. I wonder how many people know that Shakespeare based the character in the play off the historical figure, the actual King of Scotland named Macbeth? The only reason I know that is because of the Disney cartoon Gargoyles.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your class," Mr. Chapman said as he left.

Mr. Tidwell pointed to an empty seat near the back of the class, near a Latino boy. "Take the seat back there next to Marco."

I made my way to the back row, to the empty desk, and sat down. Like I said, Marco was a Latino boy, with dark hair and dark eyes, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't cute.

"What's up," he said. "Welcome to Boring Stories 101. Name's Marco. Before you ask, last name's not Polo."

I would have chuckled, if I found that joke funny. "Penny," I said.

It was my first day as a new student at a new school.

Things were supposed to be that simple.

Sadly, they wouldn't be that simple by the end of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The next two classes seemed to go by in a blur; there was so much to take in, so much material I found myself wishing I had been here for. And go figure, today was a test day in chemistry class – since I was new, I was allowed to skip it. But that left me feeling left out, though I found myself chuckling at Marco's complaining; yes, I had a few more classes with him other than English.

It felt like the day hadn't even begun, and now here it was, lunchtime. I was seeing why most people felt so awkward, being the new kid at a new school. I found myself holding my lunch tray, standing in the middle of the room, looking for a free place to sit.

"Penny! Over here!"

Marco was waving at me from a table in the center of the room. I made my way over to the table and sat down at the spot he had left open for me. There were three other kids here as well, two girls and another boy.

"Penny," Marco said, "allow me to introduce the rest of the posse. This is my best pal Jake, his cousin Rachel, and Cassie the Tree Hugger."

I took a moment to look the three of them over, trying to get a read for them – something I always do when I meet someone new. Jake had the physique of a basketball player, tall and lean, but there was something about the look in his eyes that got me. It was a look of pure determination, a look of sadness and guilt. A look that I had only heard soldiers in a war having.

Then there was Rachel – tall, blonde, beautiful, the type of girl other girls wished they were and boys wished was their girlfriend. Marco had said that she and Jake were cousins, and I could certainly see the family resemblance, mostly in the facial features. And like Jake, she had a strange look in her eyes – but unlike Jake, Rachel's eyes had a burning ferocity, like a desire to be the best and win at everything. To be perfectly honest, it sent a chill up and down my spine.

Finally, there was Cassie. She was shorter than the others, and a little bit stockier, with short dark hair and dark skin. There was a sort of softness to her that made her feel welcoming. She reminded me sort of a big sister, you know?

"So, um, how's your first day going?" Jake asked.

"Pretty well, I suppose," I said. "Though to be honest, I feel a little out of place."

"I feel like that all the time," Marco said. He took a bite of his sandwich.

"Yeah, they won't let you back in at the circus," Rachel sneered. "Then again, I think they've got enough clowns."

"Hey, as long as they don't keep Tim Curry," Marco said.

"Is it always like this?" I asked Cassie.

"Pretty much," she replied. "You'll get used to it, sooner or later."

"I hope so," I said. "Considering that this is my first day and all."

Mr. Chapman walked by. He stopped at our table. "Everything going okay, Penny?" he asked.

"Everything's fine, Mr. Chapman, thanks," I said.

"Glad to hear it. By the way, what have you decided about The Sharing?"

I noticed a look of shock on everyone's faces. Again, I was getting that feeling. And this time I could tell that it wasn't just me, it was these other four as well.

"I, um...I'm still thinking about it," I said after a moment. "It sounds interesting, but I still have to give it some time before I make a decision."

"That's fine," Mr. Chapman said. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Well, enjoy the rest of the day." With that, he walked away.

"Man, I do not like that guy," Marco said.

"Why not?" I asked. "He seems...okay, I guess."

"Yeah, he may look like a swell dude with a good attitude," Marco said. "But don't let that fool you. Chapman's a snake. And The Sharing? Yeah, it's really – "

I saw Jake make a swiping motion across his neck, telling Marco to shut up, that he had already said too much.

"Well, let's just say that we don't trust that place," Rachel said.

"Why not?" I asked. My curiosity was aroused.

"We have our reasons," Cassie said. "Just trust us on that."

I wasn't sure if I should. After all, I had only just met Jake, Rachel, and Cassie, and I'd only known Marco for a couple of hours. How could I really trust them if I didn't know them? They weren't my friends, not like Jaquie, not like Romy, not like Courtney. Those were people I knew, people I had grown up with since we were little. And now here I was, on the opposite side of the country, trying to connect with four people I had nothing in common with. At least not as far as I could tell.

"Anyway," Jake said. "What's your next class, Penny? Maybe you have it with one of us."

I took the schedule out of my pocket and looked it over. "Let's see here...US History with Mrs. La Brea."

"Really? Same as me," Rachel said. "You'll like Mrs. La Brea, she's pretty cool."

There was something about the way she said that, almost like she was forcing it. Was she lying? Was there something she didn't want me to know?

I say that now. And now I'm wishing that I had never found out.

We all headed out of the cafeteria and went our separate ways, Rachel and I heading in the same direction. I just followed her; she knew her way around better than I did.

The rest of the day went by so fast that I can't even begin to recount it all. You ever have a day like that, a day that seems to go by so fast you don't know what you did that day? Well, that was my first day at my new school. I've never had a day like that before, at least not for a long time anyway.

But now there was the question of how I was getting to my new home. Mom was still out job hunting no doubt, and Dad was still getting settled in at his new job. Jonah was probably riding the school bus, and since I was still a few months away from getting my drivers license, that meant that I was walking.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I enjoy walking, it lets me get in some time alone, lets me think. I don't want to come off sounding deep and poetic, I just like to spend time by myself, alone with my thoughts.

"Penny! Wait up!"

Marco, rushing up to meet me. "Where you headed?" he asked.

"It's down on Tenth Street," I said. "At least, I think it is, anyway."

"How about we go together?" Marco suggested. "I know this neck of the woods better than you do, so I'll be your official guide. Welcome to Marco Tours."

We started walking, Marco constantly talking the whole time – he told me about Jake and the others, about how Jake once tried out for the basketball team, how Rachel loved gymnastics – though for some reason he kept referring to her as "Warrior Princess" – and about Cassie's family running an animal clinic out of their barn on the outskirts of town.

"What about you, Marco?" I asked. "Any siblings? What about your mom and dad?"

"Only child," Marco said. "One and only Marco here. My dad goes through Adecco, a temp agency, so he has little temporary jobs that last for a little while, until they need him to move on to something else – you know how it works."

"What about your mom?"

Marco slowly turned to face away from me. I realized that I had just said something insensitive, and immediately wished that I could take it back.

"My mother is dead," he said grimly, the usual enthusiasm in his voice completely gone. It was like the mention of his mother had turned him into a completely different person. "She died two years ago in a boating accident. They never found the body."

"Oh God, I – I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't mean – "

Marco shook his head. "It's okay, you didn't know," he said. "You couldn't have known. We only just met." He shook his head again. "Sorry about that. My mom's a touchy subject."

"I understand," I said. "Believe me, I do. Granted, I don't know what it's like to lose a parent, but I imagine it's not a good feeling."

"No, it's not."

We kept walking in silence, eventually passing the mall I had seen earlier. Near the mall was some sort of construction site. It looked abandoned, though I could still see some bulldozers and dump trucks scattered here and there.

"Well, this place brings back memories," Marco said.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Me, Jake, Cassie, and Rachel used to play here when we were kids," Marco replied.

"You used to play here? Around active bulldozers and dump trucks? You'll forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

"Hey, to me, they were big Tonka toys."

I was about so say something when I heard a strange sound – it was like an animal sound, like a screech or a roar or something like that. But it didn't sound like any animal I had ever heard. It sounded...different.

"What was that?" I asked.

I thought I had seen something moving among the scaffolding, something big. I squinted my eyes to get a better look. It wasn't much, but I could make out a tall, lanky body, brown skin, and wicked looking claws all over the place – head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, fingers, toes – and a tiny head with a beaked mouth on a long neck.

"Marco? What is that?"

Marco grabbed my arm and pulled me over to an old Dumpster. We sat down, pressing our backs against it.

"What was that thing?" I asked in a hushed voice. "It looked like...I don't know what it looked like, some sort of monster!"

"Yeah, that's a monster all right," Marco said. He peeked out from around the side of the Dumpster.

"Do you think it saw us?" I asked. I could hear and feel my fear rising.

"Don't know," Marco said. "Wait here. I'm gonna go take a look." He crawled out from our hiding place.

It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. I was waiting for multiple things to happen – waiting for Marco to come back, waiting for the creature to find me, waiting to hear Marco scream if the creature found him, which I certainly hoped wouldn't happen.

There was a long moment of silence. Slowly, I peeked out around the side of the Dumpster. I couldn't see Marco, I couldn't see the creature.

They could have been anywhere.

"Marco?" I tried to call out, but I couldn't find my voice; it was no more than a terrified squeak. "Marco, where are you?"

I heard that sound again, only this time, it was much closer – less than five feet away. I could smell the creature now, even as I got a better look at its bumpy, scaly skin, the massive and deadly-looking blades all over its body, the long, serpentine like head.

The creature had found me.

And now it would tear me apart.


	3. Chapter 3

******CHAPTER 3**

The creature roared at me again. I stepped back, just barely out of the reach of its clawed arms. If I had been a millisecond later, my innards would be on the ground. The creature swiped at me again, and again, I managed to avoid, but just barely.

My foot got caught on something, and I fell to the ground, landing hard. The creature was standing over me, staring down at me with cold, monstrous eyes, looking like some terrible demon from a nightmare. It took one step towards me, then another. I backed away, staying just a few feet away from the creature.

I couldn't stay here, I had to move. I grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the creature, hitting it in the head, distracting it long enough for me to climb to my feet, turning on my heels and running towards a nearby scaffolding. The creature roared in annoyance.

I hid behind one of the steel girders, pressing my back against it and breathing hard, trying to catch my breath.

_This isn't a good hiding spot_, I told myself. _That creature's going to find me. And I don't even know what happened to Marco._

_ Penny, listen to me._

That voice – I had heard it, but at the same time, I hadn't heard it. It was like it was in my head, like a though that someone had implanted into my mind. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one there other than me. And the creature, which I could hear approaching.

_Listen to me_, the voice said again. _You've got to get someplace safe, away from that Hork-Bajir. I'll take care of it while you run to safety. I want you to start running when I count to three._

Normally, I would object to something like this, listening to a voice in my head. But at the moment, I wasn't going to complain. That voice was right, I had to get away from that creature – that Hork-Bajir, the voice had called it.

_One._ I tensed up. _Two_. I got ready to run.

_THREE!_

I took off running, sprinting as fast as I could. I heard the creature roar and start to give chase. I came to a stop near a dump truck, hiding behind one of the wheels and looking out.

And what I saw made my jaw drop.

There was a wolf fighting that creature! No, I'm not kidding, an actual wolf! It had its jaws latched on the creature's leg, its teeth digging into the creature's skin. The creature managed to kick the wolf off, but the wolf came back, leaping at the creature and throwing it to the ground. The wolf snapped at the creature, trying to dig its jaws into the creature's neck. With a snake-like hiss, the creature jabbed one of its claw-like blades into the wolf's belly. Thick red blood poured onto the ground.

_That wolf's going to lose!_ Even so, there was nothing I could do; there was no way I could be able to take on that monstrosity.

The wolf finally dug its teeth into the creature's throat, its teeth sinking deeper and deeper into the monster's flesh, until the monster gave one last spasm as its life faded away. Its arms fell limply to its side and its eyes rolled into the back of its head.

The wolf released the creature and looked over to me, before turning and hobbling away.

That poor wolf! I had to do something. It had saved me, and it was going to die for its efforts. I'm no veterinarian, but at least I could have done something to help the poor animal, even if that something was comforting it as it died.

I left my hiding place and followed the trail of blood over to a bulldozer. The blood trail led me around the bulldozer, to a small ravine dug into the ground – probably thanks to the nearby backhoe – and I came to a stop, my eyes growing wide and my breath seeming to stop at what I was watching.

The wolf was changing. With a sick crunching sound, I watched as the fur melted away, revealing pale skin; the tail shrunk into the spine; the back paws grew out into feet; the front paws turned into hands, complete with fingers; the wolf's ears moved from the top of the head to the side; the snout shrunk into the wolf's face, becoming more and more human.

And I was no longer looking at a wolf.

I was looking at Marco!

It took me a moment to process what I had just seen – Marco had been a wolf, and now he was a human. I tried to speak, but couldn't find the words; my voice kept getting caught in my throat, so I ended up stuttering and stammering for a few seconds before I finally manged to squeak out two words:

"Marco?! WHAT?!"

Marco turned to me, his eyes wide and his face devoid of all color; he had stripped down to a pair of spandex bike shorts. Slowly, sheepishly, he raised a hand and waved at me.

"Hi."

"I – Uh – I – How – WHAT?! What just happened?! YOU. WERE. A. WOLF! And now you're a human?! What's going on here?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Penny, deep breaths. I can explain," Marco said. "Actually, no I can't. See, it's kind of a long story."

"So make it short!"

"I can't! At least not how you would understand! Just – let me go get some clothes on first, because I'm getting cold and this is getting awkward."

I waited anxiously as Marco went and found his clothes. After a few minutes, he came back, now fully dressed, and on his cell phone.

"Jake, it's me. We've got a problem. I can't tell you right now, just get a hold of everyone else and have them meet us at Cassie's barn. I'll explain there." He turned the phone off and put it in his pocket. "You really want to know what's going on? Fine, fair enough. But first, let me ask you something – are you totally sure you don't know what you just saw?"

"Marco, I don't even know if I'm awake," I cried. "For all I know, I could be dreaming." I pinched my arm. "No. Not dreaming. This is for real."

Marco sighed and put his hand against his face. "Jake and the others are probably going to kill me, but...Well, you'd better follow me."

"What about that – that THING out there?" I asked, waving an arm towards the dead monster.

"Trust me, someone's gonna come around soon and pick it up. And we don't want to be around when they come, especially if the boss is there. Now, are you gonna follow me nicely, or do I have to put a leash around your neck?"

I just glared at Marco. "Not funny."

"Hey, I try."

"Just lead the way, Marco," I said. "And I'm not going anywhere else until I find out exactly what is going on."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**APOLOGIES FOR THIS TAKING SO LONG. I WAS PREOCCUPIED FINISHING UP BEAST WARS AND STARTING A NEW MY LITTLE PONY CROSSOVER TRILOGY. I'LL UPLOAD CHAPTERS AS OFTEN AS I CAN SO I DON'T GO ON ANOTHER HIATUS LIKE THIS IF I CAN AVOID IT. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING:)**

It took us about an hour and a half to get from the construction site to a small farm on the outskirts of town. Before it even came into view, I could smell the cows and the horses and the pigs, and I could hear the animals inside the big red barn – dogs, cats, birds, and other sounds that I couldn't identify at the moment. The barn itself was large and red, and smelled like a barn (yeah, yeah, kind of obvious, but still...)

Marco led me through the big double-doors. I saw Jake, Cassie, and Rachel – Jake sitting on a bale of hay, Rachel leaning against a beam with her arms crossed, and Cassie was tending to some of the animals, in this case a fox.

Rachel charged at me, tackling me to the ground. She started clawing at my ear.

"Ow! Rachel, what are you doing? Get off! You're hurting me! Get off of me!"

Rachel kept me pinned to the floor, even though I could hear Jake pleading with her to let me go.

"Rachel, back off!"

"What do you know?" Rachel hissed. "What did you see?"

"I don't know!" I cried. "I swear to God, I DON'T KNOW!"

"Rachel," Jake growled. "Back. Off."

Rachel finally climbed off of me. Jake helped me to my feet. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "What was that all about? And what is going on around here? I mean, at school, it seemed like you were trying to keep Marco from talking, and then there was that monster at the construction site, and then I see Marco transform from a wolf! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!"

Rachel turned to Marco. "She saw you morph?"

"Accident," Marco said. "Pure accident. If I had wanted her to see me morph, I would have done that BEFORE we got jumped by an angry Hork-Bajir."

I rubbed my ear; it was sore from when Rachel was clawing at it. "And Rachel, why did you attack me like that?"

"Had to make sure you weren't infested," Rachel said.

"Infested? With what? I'm more confused now than I was earlier."

"It's a long story," Cassie said.

"Then make it short," I said, putting my hands on my hips in frustration.

"We can't," Jake said. "It's just, well..." He turned to Marco. "First, tell us what happened."

"I already did," Marco replied. "Walking home together, shooting the breeze, passed through the old construction site, next thing ya know there's a Hork-Bajir. Had not choice, had to morph. Wasn't expecting Penny to see me, though."

"And why was there a Hork-Bajir in the constructin site?" Cassie asked.

Marco shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; he had the money to start the project again? That's the only explanation I can come up with, let's hear one of you come up with something better."

Jake glared at Marco. "Marco, be serious."

"I _am_ being serious, Jake," Marco said. "Thing wouldn't have attacked us, let alone been there, if it didn't have a Yeerk in its head."

"A what?" I asked. I had never heard of a Yeerk before. Honestly, it sounded like a made-up word.

"It's an alien slug," Jake said. "They're parasites that crawl into your brain via your ear canal and control your mind. Anyone infested with a Yeerk, we call the 'Controllers'. Mr. Chapman's one of the highest-ranking Controllers in the Yeerk forces...along with my brother, Tom." He turned away, closing his eyes, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. "I speak from experience when I say that having a Yeerk in your head is one of the worst, most painful experiences you'll ever have. The only consolation is that a Yeerk has to come out every three days to feed on Kandrona rays – rays from the sun of their home world – but once they're rejuvinated, they go right back in. If a Yeerk doesn't get to a Yeerk Pool to absorb some Kandrona before the three days are up, they die, and if a Yeerk dies while still in your head, well – let's just say that it hurts like hell. Again, I speak from experience."

"O...kay," I said, still unsure about what to make of all of this. "So, why are they here?"

"Like Jake said, the Yeerks are parasites," Rachel said. "They go from world to world infesting other species. The Hork-Bajir were one of the first races the Yeerks conquered, along with the Taxxons."

"What's a Taxxons?" I asked.

"Think big centipedes that are really really hungry," Marco said. "To the point where they'll even eat themselves."

"That's...disgusting," I groaned.

"You have no idea," Jake said.

I was about to say something when a bird flew through the door and landed on one of the rafters on the roof. I recognized it as one of the most beautiful birds on the planet – a red-tailed hawk. It screeched once, then started preening a wing.

"Is that bird a regular?" I asked.

_I'm guessing you're the new kid in school that Cassie mentioned._

"Not again," I moaned, holding the sides of my head.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked.

"It's happening again. I'm hearing voices in my head."

Marco looked up at the hawk. "Well, Bird Boy, it was either you or Ax."

"Why are you talking to that bird?" I asked.

"Because he's probably the one who was talking to you," Marco answered.

_Yeah, I was. Name's Tobias._

"Okay, why am I hearing a bird's voice in my head?" I asked. I was now more confused than I was earlier.

_Long story. Basically, I used to be human, but then I got stuck as a hawk. Well, that's the abridged version, anyway._

"I'm confused."

"You remember how you saw me morph from a wolf to a dude?" Marco asked. "Well, when you morph, you only have a little bit of time to be in that morph – two hours being the limit. Go over those two hours, and you end up like him." He pointed up at the bird – Tobias.

I looked back up at Tobias. "You really were human once, weren't you?"

_Do me a favor,_ Tobias said. _Don't pity me. I've been like this for a while; I'm used to it by now._

"Okay," I said. "But let me ask you this – how can you do that? How can you...change like that?"

"Which version of the story do you want?" Rachel asked. "Long or short?"

"Which one makes the most sense?" I asked.

"That would be none of them," Marco replied. "Not to someone like you, anyway – no offense."

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms. "Then give me the short version."

"You can thank the Andalites," Jake said.

"I'm sorry, the what-a-lites?" I asked. Andalite? I'd never heard the word before. It sounded foreign, made up.

"The Andalites are aliens," Jake replied.

_Great_, I silently moaned. _More aliens._

"It's thanks to them that the Yeerks are spreading," he continued. "You see, a while back, there was an Andalite named Seerow, who felt pity for the Yeerks, so he gave them access to Andalite technology."

"Long story short," Marco put in. "Shit hit the fan, the Andalites didn't like that, and the Yeerks started doing what they're doing now – planet hopping and infesting different races."

"The Andalites created the power to morph," Cassie added. "Like you saw with Marco, morphing changes a person's shape into that of another creature, and as is the case with Tobias, if you go over the two hour time limit, you become permanently trapped in that morph."

"That still doesn't explain how Marco did it," I said.

"Calm down, calm down," Marco said. "Hold your horses, we're getting there. You know that construction site we went through, where we ran into that Hork-Bajir-Controller? Well, we met another alien there a while back – an Andalite named Elfangor."

"Elfangor was dying," Rachel added. "He had been injured during a battle with the leader of the Yeerk ground forces – Visser Three. Before he died, he told us about the Yeerks and gave us the power to morph so we could fight them."

"How'd he do that" I asked. My confusion had given way to intrigue. I wanted to know more; my curiosity was piqued.

"Hold on, I'll go get it," Cassie said. She headed into an empty horse stall, coming out a few seconds later carrying what looked like a glowing blue cube. "With this. Its real name is the Escafil device, but we just call it the Morphing Cube."

_All we had to do was touch it_, Tobias said. _And then we had the power._

"Elfangor died a little bit after that," Marco added. "Visser Three swallowed him."

"Yuck." That was the only response I could come up with.

_Elfangor. He was my brother._

I looked up at Tobias, who was preening a wing. "Your brother was an alien?"

_I didn't say that,_ Tobias said. _Must have been Ax._

"Who?"

I heard the sound of hooves clopping on the floor in one of the stalls, and after a moment, some..._thing_ stepped into view. It had the body of a horse, but with blue fur instead of brown, black, white, or yellow; the torso of a human, with a tan torso; long arms with seven-fingered hands; two big eyes on its face with two more on swiveling stalks coming from the top of its head; a slotted nose; and a long, whip-like tail that ended in a deadly-looking blade, similar to the blades on the Hork-Bajir.

I screamed in shock, falling back and landing hard on my butt. This...this thing was staring at me with all four eyes!

"What is that?" I asked, my voice cracking with fear. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

"Penny, relax," Marco said. "This is an Andalite."

"I thought you said he was dead!"

_They were referring to my brother, Andalite Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. My name is Aximilli-Esgarrouth-Isthill._

"We just call him Ax for short," Marco said. "It's so much easier to pronounce."

"Yeah, that makes me feel a LOT better!" I growled.

_I think my appearance disturbs you,_ Ax said.

"Yeah, it kind of does," I said.

"Ax-Man, you might want to morph," Marco said.

_Yes, that would be a good idea._

My stomach churned as the change began, Ax's blue fur turning into tan skin – complete with clothes – and the two eye stalks on the top of his head shrunk down into his skull. The two extra fingers on each hand melted away. His horse body began to melt into the front half of his body – as did his hind legs – and his hooves grew out into human feet – shoes and all. A mouth appeared on his face as his slotted nose grew into a human nose.

What had once been an extraterrestrial being was now a human boy.

I picked myself up off the ground, staring in amazement. "What just happened?"

"I morphed," Ax replied. "Shortly after I came to Earth, I acquired the DNA of each of my human friends so that I could take on a human form and explore this world. World. Wo. Wo."

"What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Ax said. "Making sounds with a mouth is strange for an Andalite."

_Okay_, I told myself. _Log that one away._ "Back up a minute," I said. "What did you mean when you said you acquired their DNA?"

"The only way to morph an animal is to acquire its DNA," Cassie said. "We do this by touching it and after a moment of concentration, that animal becomes a part of our genetic code. And if we want to morph that animal, we have to concentrate and see ourselves morphing into that creature. Want to try it?"

"Hold on, Cassie," Jake said. "I don't think we should do that. I mean, we barely know this girl."

"She's not infested," Ax said. "If she were, she probably wouldn't have...what's the word you humans use for a moment like that?"

"Freak the hell out?" Marco asked.

"Yes," Ax said. "That."

"Can you blame me?" I asked sarcastically. I took a deep breath. "Okay, guys. You've got me intrigued. I want to know what this is all about."

"You sure about that?" Jake asked. "I mean, being part of this team isn't sunshine and sparkles. If you want that, you go watch that one cartoon."

"And you would know about that, how?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms.

"I've...dabbled," Jake said. "I get bored, okay. Besides, that's not the point. Penny, if you accept this, you have to promise that you keep everything you've heard so far and everything you'll see after this point a secret. You can't tell anyone – not your family, not any other friends you'll make, no one. Why? Because anyone you know could have a Yeerk in their head, anyone could be a Controller. And since you're new in town and don't seem to know any Controllers, that's even more of an incentive to keep this a secret – the Yeerks could come after your family in an attempt to make you talk. Do you understand? If you accept, you have to hold true to that, and you have to hold true to that even if you _don't_ accept that. Whatever decision you make, we won't hold it against you."

That was a lot to take in. I couldn't tell anyone? Not even my own family? Well, I suppose that it made sense, considering what I had just been told. But I wanted to know what having this power was all about. And to protect my family – especially Jonah.

"I accept."

"Good," Jake said. "Cassie, go get the cube."

Cassie headed to the back of the barn, coming out of a stall a few moments later with a glowing blue box in her hand.

"Here it is," she said. "Go ahead, Penny. Touch it."

I tentatively reached out to the box, pulling my hand away before I touched it. "Will it hurt?" I asked.

_It might tingle a bit,_ Tobias replied. _But other than that, no._

"Well, okay," I said. I placed the palm of my hand against the box.

You know that feeling you get when your hand goes numb and falls asleep? That feeling of having no blood flowing through your hand, making it tingle and you can't feel it? That's what touching the box feels like. It was strange, like I was having something absorbed through my hand.

After a moment, the feeling stopped. Cassie pulled the box away from me.

"There you go," Marco said. "Now you're officially an Animorph."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Animorph? That sounds like the name of some cheesy sci-fi comic book."

"Or a television show that some people may or may not like," Rachel said.

"All that's left now is for you to acquire your first morph," Cassie said. "Let's see here...I got it." She went over to a pen and took out a small white rabbit. "How about a bunny? Something small for you to practice on."

"Once we get you in the proper attire," Rachel put in. "Be right back." She headed to the back of the barn.

"What's she getting?" I asked.

"We can't morph clothes," Jake said. "Ax seems to be the only exception – we still haven't figured out how. We can only morph skintight clothing like bike shorts or leotards. Otherwise, well – let's just say that it's really awkward morphing back to human from a fly and finding out that you're not wearing anything."

_And yes, he speaks from experience,_ Tobias added.

"O...kay, wish I hadn't heard that," I said as Rachel came back, carrying a blue leotard that looked like it was just my size.

"You and Cassie are about the same size, so this should fit you perfectly," she said. She tossed the leotard at me. "Go put it on, then come right back so you can acquire the bunny."

"Okay," I said. "Geez, bossy much?" I headed to the back of the barn, hidden from everyone else and took off my clothes.

I'd never worn a leotard before, so it took me a moment to figure out how to put the thing on. I finally managed to get it on and came out. I could feel my face turning red; this was so awkward.

Cassie put the rabbit in my arms. "Now, just concentrate," she said. "Focus. Clear your mind, if you will."

"Okay." I closed my eyes and focused on the rabbit. Again, I felt that tingling sensation in my hands. It stopped after a moment.

"You've got its DNA," Cassie said. She took the rabbit and put it back in its pen. "Now, just concentrate again. See yourself becoming the rabbit."

"Okay, here I go," I said. I closed my eyes and saw a mental image of myself changing into a rabbit.

And what happened next, I can't explain. But I'll do what I can.

First, I felt a tingling sensation on my skin – that was the white fur of the rabbit growing on my skin. I felt my hair shrink and my ears move up to the top of my head.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Am I doing it right?"

"So far so good," Jake said. "Now, stop talking. Just focus."

"You know," Marco said. "If someone walks by and hears this conversation without knowing the context of it all – "

"Shut up, Marco," I hissed. I felt my nose shrink and my teeth harden.

And then something else happened.

I felt my insides begin to change – I could feel my organs beginning to shrink and my bones crack and rearrange themselves. Surprisingly, it didn't really hurt. I mean, yeah, I winced in pain once or twice, but other than that, pain didn't register with me.

My arms shrunk and became paws, and my back legs grew more muscular as my feet grew into larger feet.

Finally, I opened my eyes. But it wasn't my normal vision that I was seeing.

Everything was bigger. And I was seeing everything to the left and right of me; my frontal vision was horribly impaired. The colors were just as I would normally see them, and the smells – I could smell everything, from the deodorant Jake was wearing to the...excrement of the cows in the nearby field.

I had done it.

I was a rabbit.

But now something else was happening. I could feel the rabbit's conscience clashing with my own. The bunny wanted to run to escape, and I could actually feel myself starting to hop away as fast as my bunny legs could carry me. It took everything I had to stop myself.

_What's going on?_ I wondered.

"Penny, calm down!" Cassie cried.

_Calm down?_ I asked. _How do I calm down? The bunny won't let me!_ And only now was I wondering if they could hear my thoughts.

"You have to fight the rabbit," Jake said. "You have to stop thinking like a rabbit and start thinking like a human."

_Okay, I'll try._ I focused, trying to push the rabbit conscience down. It took me a little bit, but after a while, I felt the bunny instincts all but gone. _Okay, I think I'm in control._

"Good," Jake said. "Now, morph back. This was just a trial run, and besides, we don't want you to go over the two hour time limit."

_Time limit?_

"Just morph back," Marco said. "We'll explain then."

_How do I morph back?_ I asked.

"Just like you morphed bunny, only backwards," Rachel said.

_Okay. Here I go. _I started concentrating.

Remember how I described morphing into a rabbit? Just picture that, only in reverse. After a few moments, I was a human again.

"That was weird," I said as I tried to catch my breath. "Okay, what's the deal with the time limit?"

_Go over the two hour time limit, and you'll be stuck in whatever morph you're in at that time,_ Tobias replied. _Remember?_

"Oh, that's right. Don't know how I forgot about that."

"No problem," Marco said. "All that's left to do now is to get you a few more morphs." He looked at Jake. "The Gardens?"

"The Gardens," Jake said. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The Gardens, as it turned out, was the amusement park I had seen on the way to school earlier that morning. I was thoroughly surprised; it was bigger than I expected. From the moment we arrived – heck, even BEFORE that – I could hear people screaming on the roller coasters and smell the sweet concessions being sold – pizza, popcorn, corn dogs, cheeseburgers, deep fried food.

And I could see signs pointing to the zoo, located in the back of the park.

Cassie led us through the main gate. On the way here, she explained that her parents ran The Gardens, as well as the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, which they ran out of their barn – that would explain all the animals I had seen there.

"Here we are," Cassie said.

The first animal I noticed was a magnificent, beautiful Bengal tiger. It didn't seem to notice me – besides the fact that it was sleeping. Sort of reminded me of those pictures you would see in a photo album, in pictures from a zoo – the tigers are usually just lying around being lazy.

"We've got a lot to choose from," Cassie said. "Lions, tigers, bears, lizards, snakes, insects, birds – "

"Can I see the reptiles?" I asked. Ever since I was younger I was always into reptiles – snakes, lizards, crocodiles, alligators; I even had a pet iguana once.

"Sure. Follow me."

Cassie and the others led me into the reptile house. The first thing I noticed was the scent of the snake bedding – fitting, as there was a pen housing a large, albino Burmese python not too far from the entrance. Its large, muscular body was curled up as it rested.

"I like that snake," I said. "Think I can acquire that?"

"Don't see why not," Jake said. "Cassie, would you mind?"

Cassie opened the pen and reached inside. The snake tried to slither away from her. She grabbed it behind the head with both hands and lifted it out of the pen.

"It's okay, big boy," she said as she lifted the snake over to me. "Here you go, Penny. Acquire away."

I reached out to the snake, hoping that it wouldn't lash out at me, and placed my hand on its head. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the snake. That tingling feeling in my hand came back as the snake's genetic code merged with my own.

"Okay, I've got it," I said. I watched as Cassie gently put the snake back into its pen. "You got any Komodo dragons?"

"Why would you want one of those things?" Marco asked. "They kill you with their spit."

"Yeah, but they're cool," I said. "Look, you guys told me about the animals you change into when you fight – Jake's a tiger, Marco's a gorilla, Cassie's a wolf, Rachel's a grizzly bear, Tobias and Ax mostly stay as they are – so just imagine adding a big bad Komodo dragon to the roster."

"Actually, we DO have one Komodo dragon," Cassie said. She led me over to a large pen in the back of the reptile house. "We call her Melody."

"It's a female?" I asked.

"Yup. Females are bigger and generally more dangerous than the males. It's actually like that for most animals." She reached for the key ring attached to her belt and used one of the keys to unlock the door. "Before I let you in there to acquire it, I should tell you how to handle a dragon."

"Okay."

"Okay, you know how the best way to handle an alligator or a crocodile is to lay down on its back and put all your weight down onto it? You have to do the same thing with a Komodo dragon, but you also have to be a bit more careful because of the claws and tail. Just jump onto it, put all your weight onto it, and acquire it. As soon as you've acquired its DNA, get out of there as fast as you can."

"Won't the dragon chase me if I run?"

"They have a pretty good running speed, especially that first burst, but if you're fast enough, you'll be able to get away. But if its bites you – which I hope it doesn't – well...Just try not to get bitten."

_That makes me feel a lot better_, I thought as Cassie opened the door. I took a deep breath and stepped into the pen.

The lizard must have been at least fifteen feet long, with a long, muscular body. Its legs ended in wicked-looking sharp claws attached to powerful legs. A line of poisonous saliva dripped from its mouth. Its long, muscular tail dragged the ground.

I approached the dragon slowly from behind, hoping that it wouldn't see me – or at least that it wouldn't turn around and try to attack.

I was almost three feet away from the lizard when I leaped at it, throwing myself onto its back and putting all of my weight against it. The lizard swung its tail back and forth and tried to crawl out from under me. It only calmed down when I began to acquire it.

I waited a moment before climbing off of the lizard. I didn't waste any time, I turned to the door and ran as fast as I could.

"Get that door open, Cassie!" I screamed. Cassie pulled the door open, allowing me to exit the pen.

I came to a stop before I hit the wall. I took a moment to catch my breath, glad to be away from the Komodo dragon. Believe it or not, I was extremely nervous that entire time. I'd never been so close to something so powerful, so dangerous, so, so...Words just can't describe it.

_You okay, Penny?_ Tobias asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Just...a little overwhelmed, that's all." I shook my head and took a deep breath. "What's next?"

"You need a bird," Jake said. "At least one bird of prey."

"To the bird cage, away!" Marco yelled, turning and pointing down the hall in a cheesy pose clearly inspired by reading too many comic books.

I followed them to a bird cage. We had only just arrived when I caught the scent of bird feathers and bird droppings. The calling of birds reached my ears as Cassie pulled the door open, ushering me inside.

A falcon fluttered its wings as it landed on its perch. I heard an eagle screech somewhere in the back of the cage. A large silver and black eagle flapped up to the perch next to me. I turned to look at it. The bird turned its large brown eyes towards me. It was a magnificent bird; its head and chest were whitish-silver in color, and its wings were gunmetal gray, almost black. A set of feathers protruded from the back of its head, making the bird look like it had a set of dreadlocks.

"What kind of bird is this?" I asked.

"That's a harpy eagle," Cassie replied. "One of my favorites, personally."

I reached out and ran my hand along the eagle's wing. The feathers felt coarse under my fingers.

_I want this one_, I thought. _I want this bird. I want to be able to fly._ I pressed my palm against the eagle's wing. The eagle went stiff as I began to acquire it.

I pulled my hand away, and the eagle flew off.

"We'll get you a bug next and call it a day for acquiring morph," Jake said. "Cassie, to the bugs."

It wasn't very far to the bug exhibit; just a few feet away from the bird cage. There was one arthropod that I was looking for, and as soon as we entered the insect exhibit, I set my eyes upon what I desired – a Goliath bird eater spider, over eleven and a half inches wide, the largest spider – the largest arthropod – on Earth.

"I want the Goliath," I said.

"You sure? He's a big boy," Cassie said.

"I can NOT believe you would go for that big thing," Marco said. He shuddered. "Creeps me the hell out."

Cassie reached into the spider's pen and pulled it out. She handed the spider to me; it was so large that I had to cradle it in both hands.

I turned to Marco. "He's not creepy, Marco, he's cute."

"Cute is NOT the first word I would use to describe that bug," Marco said.

"Same here," Rachel put in. "Anyone got a really big slipper?"

My hands tingled as the spider's DNA merged with my own. "Here you go, Cassie," I said after a moment. I turned to hand the spider back to Cassie, but it started scurrying up my arm and onto my shoulders. "Hey! What are you doing up there? Get down!" The spider scurried across the back of my neck; its legs tickled my skin. It scurried down my other arm.

Cassie put her hands out, allowing the spider to crawl onto her open palms. "Gotcha." She carried the spider back over to its pen and put it back. "There you go, Cassie. Three new morphs. Let's just hope you won't have to use them any time soon."

That statement from Cassie reminded me why I agreed to this – to keep my family safe. I knew that the Yeerks were out there, had probably already noticed me and my family moving into town earlier this week, and were getting ready to take us and make us Controllers. Jake and the others had said that I should never reveal myself to the Yeerks, never reveal that I can morph, and I wanted to honor that, I really did. But would I have any choice if the Yeerks came to take my family away? I didn't know.

But I knew that I would have a way to defend my family if the need arose.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

It was well into the evening by the time I got home. Dad's car was in the driveway. No doubt he was going to ask me just where I was. I had been rehearsing what I would say to my family the whole time I was heading home from The Gardens – I would simply tell them that I had met some new friends and we were simply hanging out.

Which, when you think about it, is more or less true.

I stopped walking as I reached the driveway. I couldn't put my finger on it, at least not right away, but something seemed…off. I didn't see any lights on inside the house, nor did I hear the sounds of the television or Jonah's video games. Something was wrong, I knew that much. But the question nagging at me from inside was, what was wrong?

Slowly, I approached the front door and tried the handle. Unlocked. I was felt my nervousness rising as I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Mom! Dad! Jonah! I'm home! Sorry I was out so long!" No response.

I had been expecting to hear my mother playing some country music on the radio in the kitchen, or my father watching some boring show on the National Geographic Channel. But no, all I heard was a deathly silence. I didn't even hear anything coming from upstairs.

I climbed the stairs and made my way to Jonah's room. The door was shut – nothing unusual there. I pressed my ear against the door, but still heard nothing. Not even the sound of his video game system running. I pushed the door open; my brother's room was still just as messy as it was this morning when we left.

"Mom! Dad! Jonah!" I called out again, even though I knew that no one could hear me.

I wasn't feeling nervous anymore – now I was starting to really worry.

_It's okay_, I told myself as I made my way back downstairs. _Mom and Dad may have gone out for the night. Jonah might be out with some new friends. Unless Mom and Dad took Jonah with them. But wouldn't they have left a note?_

I headed into the kitchen and looked on the table, hoping to see a note. If not on the table, then on the refrigerator. Nothing. In fact, the more I thought about it, and the more I looked around, there was no sign that any of them had come home since this morning.

I looked at the clock on the wall; it was almost half past eight. I had been home for nearly an hour. The phone hadn't rang, no one had come through the door, nothing. Now I was starting to get a little scared.

Too bad my growling stomach wasn't letting me focus on that for the moment. I had to find something to eat; I was starving. Fortunately for me, we had done some grocery shopping a couple of days ago. I opened the fridge, taking out the jug of iced tea and put it on the table, then reached into the cabinet for a glass.

With my glass full of tea, I put the jug back into the fridge and looked around for some food. There was some left over grilled chicken from the other night, but I don't trust cooked food after a day or two. We had plenty of lunchmeat and cheese, but I never really cared for sandwiches.

I closed the fridge door and looked in the freezer. There was some frozen pizza, hamburger, a couple of TV dinners….It would take the hamburger forever to thaw out, and I hate TV dinners.

"Pizza it is," I said as I pulled a box of Digiorno's out of the freezer.

##########################################

I had never been so hungry that I ate an entire pizza by myself. I wiped my hands and mouth clean with a napkin and cleaned off my plate and the pizza pan. It was now a little past nine, and there was still no sign of anyone coming home.

Even while I was eating, I kept my eye on the phone, hoping that it would ring, that Mom or Dad or Jonah would call and tell me that everything was fine, that they were on their way home from wherever it was that they were. Nothing. The only call was from someone I didn't know, and they didn't even leave a message.

Now that I had calmed down and gotten some food in my stomach, I finally noticed the terrible smell coming off of me. I smelled like sweat, like animals, like hay and straw, and to be honest, it was really starting to bother me.

_I need a shower. Maybe they'll come home while I'm getting clean._

I went up to my room and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to change into after my shower. I headed to the bathroom and took off the clothes I had been wearing, throwing them into the laundry bin. All except for the leotard. I decided I should hold on to that. It was just this feeling I had that I should keep it, just in case.

The room began to fog up before I even climbed under the shower water. Unlike my brother, I like my showers to be extremely hot. It's like a sauna to me, it opens up the pores and relaxes the muscles – especially if you've had the kind of day that I had.

I just stood there, letting the water run over me, not bothering with soap or shampoo for a while. I simply let the water wash off all the dirt and sweat. After a few moments, I put a dollop of shampoo into my hand and ran it through my hair, before putting some body wash onto my red scrubber.

I stood under the water for a few more minutes, letting the soap and shampoo wash away before turning off the water and climbing out. I grabbed the towel hanging up on the metal bar and used it to dry myself off.

It actually felt good to be in some clean clothes, even though I was wearing the leotard underneath. It was now almost half past ten, and there was still no sign of anyone coming home.

I yawned; it had been a long day, and I was fighting – and failing – to stay awake. I had to get to bed. Besides, the next day was a school day. So I locked the door and headed upstairs to my room.

########################################

I woke up with a start. It was still dark outside, and by extension in my room. I glanced over at the clock on my night stand – 3:30 in the morning. I'd barely been asleep for about five hours.

I leaped out of bed and hurried to my parents' room, threw the door open –

And there was no one there. The same was true for Jonah's room.

Now the reality was sinking in.

Something was seriously wrong.

I headed downstairs and looked at the phone. No new messages. I picked it up and dialed the number for my father's cell phone. It rang a few times before going to voicemail.

"Dad, it's me. I've been home for a while, but you and Mom and Jonah still aren't back yet. I don't know where you are, and I'm really starting to get scared. Please, can't you at least call and let me know that you're okay?" I pressed the End Call button, then called Mom's cell phone. Again, straight to voicemail. "Mom, it's me. You're not home, Dad's not home, Jonah's not home, and I'm getting really worried. Call, please? Let me know that everything's fine. I love you." I hung up the phone and waited for what felt like an eternity for the phone to ring. Which, of course, it never did.

Okay, something seriously weird was going on here. But what could I do? I figured I could always talk to those other guys, but what help could they have been? Well, they were really the only people I could talk to, so what choice did I have?

The problem was, the only one I knew where they lived was Cassie, and by extension, Ax and Tobias. Now, how to get there at four in the morning?

The answer was staring me right in the face; I had a perfectly good bird morph at my disposal, and while a harpy eagle wasn't exactly a nocturnal bird, it was the best that I could do.

I made my way up to my room and opened the window, letting the cool early morning air into the stuffy room. I stripped down to my leotard and climbed up onto the windowsill, balancing myself on the small surface area with my feet and holding on to the sides of the window as tight as I could. It was a good two story drop to the ground below, and while a twenty foot drop wouldn't kill me – unless I landed on my head and broke my neck; how much would THAT suck? – it would still hurt. A lot.

But I digress.

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate on the bird, whose genetic code was swimming within my own DNA. It took a moment, but I began to feel the changes happening almost instantly.

The first thing I noticed was this tingling sensation as feathers sprouted from my skin, covering my arms and legs and face. My toes fused together and hardened, becoming long, sharp talons. My body began to shrink, my insides swirling around like they were being stirred up in a mixing bowl as more feathers grew on my body. I felt my hair shrink into my head, stopping only when it formed the feathers that made up what could only be described as dreadlocks. My nose and mouth fused together and jutted out from my face, forming a curved, sharp beak. And my eyes – oh wow, my eyes! Even in the pitch black of early morning, I could see everything so clearly! I saw a squirrel scurry up a tree in the nearby park, I saw people through the windows of their houses as they got ready for an early start, I could see a guinea pig in its pen in a little boy's bedroom….It was amazing!

I had to fight to hold down the eagle's natural instinct to swoop after the rodents I had seen. It took a moment, but I finally managed to wrench control and become the dominant personality in the eagle's body. I flapped my wings once, twice, three times, and launched off the windowsill, taking to the air.

Words cannot describe the incredible feeling of soaring one hundred feet in the air, looking down at the world from above. The wind passing through my feathers, howling in my sharp eagle ears, the cool air filtering into my nostrils, allowing me to smell almost everything in the area, just the overall feeling of flight….I imagine that this is what Icarus felt like when he took flight with his wax and feather wings. This feeling of weightlessness, of defying gravity after being stuck on the ground for so long….I loved it!

I banked, heading for the farm on the outside of town. After a few moments, the red barn came into view. I folded my wings against my body, allowing me to squeeze through the window. My clawed talons gripped one of the support beams running along the roof.

_Tobias, can you hear me?_ I called out using my thought-speak. _Tobias, Ax, it's me, Penny. Answer me, please. I need your help._ No response. _Is anyone here?_

_ Penny, do you know what time it is?_ Tobias's voice came into my head. _Geez._

_ Sorry,_ I said as I flapped down from the beam. I began to change back into a human. My muscles felt stiff; I stretched, loosening them up. "But I think something bad's happened. And I don't know who else to turn to."

_Can you at least turn on the light first?_

I felt around in the darkness until my hand touched the light string. My fingers wrapped around the string, and I gave it a good tug, illuminating the room and blinding me for a few seconds. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the change in the light.

Tobias flew onto the support beam. He folded his wings against his body as he landed.

_OK, so what's going on?_

"It's my family," I said. "They weren't home when I got back, and they still haven't come home. I don't know what's wrong, but I know it can't be good."

Tobias screeched. _Maybe they just got caught up with something?_ he guessed.

"Tobias, even if they _had_ gotten caught up with something, they wouldn't be out until 4:30 in the morning without calling or something. And Jonah? He's only eight. That's way too young to be out by himself this late at night. I don't know what's wrong, and honestly, I'm scared. I don't know what to do. You and your friends are the only ones I know, the only ones I can turn to for help."

Tobias was quiet for a moment. He took a few seconds to groom himself.

_Okay, here's what we'll do_, he said after a moment of silence. _Later this morning, before Cassie leaves for school, I'll tell her what you told me. I'll also relay this information to Ax. You can tell the others at school. In the meantime, I think you'd better head home and wait, just in case they do show up. If they _do _show up, keep an eye on them. For all we know, the Yeerks may have gotten to them._

"I certainly hope not," I said as I reached up to turn off the light. I stopped as my fingers wrapped around the string. "Tobias, how can you tell if someone's been…taken?"

_You really can't. The Yeerks mimic their hosts perfectly. Unless you already know that they're infested, then there's no way of knowing for sure._

_Great,_ I thought. I sighed as I turned off the light.

Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.


End file.
